Top positive review

5.0 out of 5 starsGreat little watch, whether it's walking around town, swimming through swampwater, or jumping out of planes.

Bymdane91on February 23, 2017

Purchased this watch back in 2013, it had an easy first couple of years. Then wore it through US Army Infantry basic training. The watch never left my wrist, drug it through mud and muck, water, sweat, tears, banged it around on a tile floor whilst doing pushups. Broke a springbar putting on a rucksack once but that was an easy fix. Been wearing it the last 2 years in the Army, It's been really cold, and really hot, swam with me on numerous water survival tasks, jumped off high dives and zip lines into a lake, it's been on my wrist jumping out of planes and helicopters at 1500ft. I don't know what people are talking about "splash resistant" this little seiko has been on my wrist for the combat water survival assessment at least 15 times. Small enough that it doesn't get in the way of gloves or long sleeve shirts. Spend the 50 bucks, stick a nato strap on it, beat the hell out of it for as long as it lasts, then buy a new one. I've been brutalizing mine for 4+ years and it hasn't skipped a beat.

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Purchased this watch back in 2013, it had an easy first couple of years. Then wore it through US Army Infantry basic training. The watch never left my wrist, drug it through mud and muck, water, sweat, tears, banged it around on a tile floor whilst doing pushups. Broke a springbar putting on a rucksack once but that was an easy fix. Been wearing it the last 2 years in the Army, It's been really cold, and really hot, swam with me on numerous water survival tasks, jumped off high dives and zip lines into a lake, it's been on my wrist jumping out of planes and helicopters at 1500ft. I don't know what people are talking about "splash resistant" this little seiko has been on my wrist for the combat water survival assessment at least 15 times. Small enough that it doesn't get in the way of gloves or long sleeve shirts. Spend the 50 bucks, stick a nato strap on it, beat the hell out of it for as long as it lasts, then buy a new one. I've been brutalizing mine for 4+ years and it hasn't skipped a beat.

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I love it! Rather than say “price”, I will say “value”. It is an incredible value. Probably about the lowest priced Automatic (non quartz/battery) you can find.

I was interested in getting the Hamilton Khaki Field Officer Handwinding watch for around $275. While looking around for a good price, I stumbled upon this, the Seiko, and felt it would satisfy my curiosity at a good bit lower price.

It arrived fast. I was immediately impressed with the packaging. It comes nicely packed in a nice Seiko box. At this price, I really expected no frills, like maybe a bag or envelope of some type. Also, I was struck by the overall appearance. If someone told me this was a $200 watch, I would believe it. It doesn’t look cheap at all. It looks like a strong, sturdy, well made, good quality item.

The face struck me as somewhat overly crowded and busy, though interesting with different numbers and lines going every which way. I can easily read the time on it though. The hands are bold and clear.

I love the 37 mm size. As an older dude, the big watches of today are just too much for me. This is a great size for me. For a moment, I felt it was a little bit “blocky” or thick but that quickly passed, and I guess it needs the depth to accommodate the automatic movement.

Speaking of which… I read a bit about this online and understand this movement is used in many higher priced Seikos. The reviewer said it was superior to what he sees in other low priced automatics.

The crown is of note. It is not in the middle but off center and small. Sometimes, big crowns jut out and can kind of dig into my wrist. So this is very comfortable.

The brushed steel is rugged and apropos for this watch and it’s military design. It is really quite understatedly handsome.

I love the band. Though a simple piece of material, it is somewhat reinforced around the eyelets, but best of all, it fits my thick wrists comfortably. And because it is cloth, it has some give and everything combined make for an extremely comfortable feeling watch.

When I took it out of the box, it immediately started working, ignited by the little bit of movement of simply removing the watch. I know it sounds weird, but I was fascinated at seeing the second hand glide around the face so smoothly. It seemed so much cooler to me than the way the second hand moves on my Quartz watches.

It has stopped running a few times, but never when it was being worn. I may not have worn it long enough to keep it wound up and running.

I am concerned that about 10% of the reviewers cite bad experiences with the watch. That is not acceptable to me. Even though it is not high priced, I still expect some reliability and durability. Then again, I don’t know if that is realistic in an item at this price. Too bad, because it’s a honey for the money…

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I recently got this watch after doing a fair amount of research looking for an inexpensive yet good quality watch for every day use. The value at this price point seems truly amazing. Being an automatic made it even more so. The Seiko 7S26 movement is a reliable tried and tested component and I have found mine to be accurate within about 2 seconds per day which is fantastic. I know others have quoted different stats for accuracy and I don't dispute their findings. Maybe I just got extra lucky with mine.I love the exhibition case back which shows the movement mechanics! I think the watch face is laid out well and is quite pleasing and not cluttered. The luminescent markings last for hours albeit be at they are not super bright after awhile but still easily seen in the dark. The crown is very unobtrusive as it is set in further than many. Some may see this as a drawback but I prefer having it that way. Part of my feeling that way may be that I'm left-handed so I wear the watch on my right hand. It doesn't feel or look strange at all with the crown being so minimal. It is still easy to pull out although you do have to have a little bit of a fingernail to get underneath it but I don't find that to be a problem.I really like the beaded finish on the case. Personally I wouldn't consider polishing it like some have. I like it just the way it is. If there is one thing that I would be critical of it's the band that comes with this watch. I purchased another band at the same time I purchased the watch and instantly changed it out to a great looking dark brown genuine leather strap. (See pics) To me this is the perfect complement to the watch. In spite of the strap, I still gave it five stars because the strap is easily changed and the value of the watch itself with all its features is excellent. To be able to get an automatic watch of this quality at this price point makes this a no-brainer.

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Don't let the cheap price fool you! I decided to buy this watch after Kevin Rose of Google Ventures/Former Digg CEO, who happens to be a major watch geek, who recommended this watch to author Timothy Ferriss when he asked, "What's a really good watch to get that is under $100?". This is that watch. I am really glad I bought it. It's hefty, comfy, looks good on my wrist and has all the cool features your grandpa's watch had. I def recommend this watch!

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I got the watch far earlier than I had been told, so the experience started off with a pleasant surprise. The product was delivered in original Seiko packaging, presented on a pillow inside. Presentation pertaining to a much higher price, I might add. It was labeled with the MSRP of more than 180 dollars. A price that would have been fair anyway.

The watch itself sports a movement which as been used by Seiko since the 90's. So you can rest assured that the watch will keep ticking, or rather sweeping (as the automatic movement ensures a beautiful sweeping second hand as opposed to a ticking hand) for a long time to come. The movement is a tank and it has been just a few seconds a day off.

The watch itself is gorgeous. It's the size of a field watch (worn in the army by foot-soldiers) but it's dial is more like a classic aviator style with the prominent minute markers. I absolutely love the minute and hour hand, reminiscent of the propellors of old WWI era combat aircrafts. The second hand adds a touch of elegance with it's extended almost feminine shape. It's a sturdy feeling scratch resistant case which would have served well in combat as it is non reflective in the sun. The display case back gives you a glimpse of the intricate workings of the mesmerising movement, teleporting you to the mechanical era of yesteryear. The watch sits well on any wrist. It's subtle size ensures it sits well on smaller wrists, but it's intricate (but not cluttered) dial makes it feel at home even on larger wrists (like mine).

The strap, though well made, is not worth keeping. It just doesn't do the heritage of the watch design justice. I bought an aftermarket 15$ strap online and it transforms the watch. It goes from beater to eye catcher. I recommend non-nato so you can keep seeing the mechanical innards. There are so many great leather offerings to choose from. Oh also, swapping straps is super easy. Don't be scared off by the pushpin tool, it's a one time purchase which you can keep reusing and it's dirt cheap to begin with.

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Bought this for my 12-year-old son for Christmas and we are impressed with this watch. Numerous watch blogs list this as one of the best automatic watches under $500, so at $55 it's a great starter "nice" watch for my son. Opinions will vary widely, but I think the case is perfect for my son. May be a little small for an adult man (pictured alongside my Tissot).

I'll be back in six months and will report how it survives the 7th grade.

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The SNK809 I purchased through Amazon is the worst watch I have ever had. This thing averages -20 seconds in 12hrs. I have a timegrapher and measured the watch in multiple orientations. Face down was the best at -10s/d. Face up was -23s/d. At 45 degrees tilted face up the watch does the weirdest thing, it measures at -30s/d. The beat error ranges from 1.7ms to 0.9ms depending on orientation.

I liked the overall look of the watch, so I tried to regulate the watch. No such luck. This thing is all over the place. When you regulate it face down it goes grossly out of calibration when face up. The best I could do is beat error 0.0 and 0 or -1s/d face down. Face up it was -21s/d. Trying to calibrate for face up was a feat in futility, it just wouldn't hold the setting.

I have a SKX007 which has the same 7S26 caliber mech, it was inaccurate, the difference is it was consistent in all orientations. When you adjust for one orientation, the others lined up proportionately. I was able to get it to -1sec/d tilted and 0.0s/d facing up. I have gone two weeks without noticing any seconds degradation. I think the 809 is made in Malaysia, my SKX007 was not. Maybe that has a huge impact on these two identical calibers.

Why is Seiko slipping in quality? SNK809 is by far the worst watch I have ever had. I am not happy at all. It was a huge waste of my time to try to regulate it, not to mention frustrating. Going to look at other watch makers and throttle back purchases of Seiko mechanical watches.

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